Agile Project Management by Gary Chin

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Chapter 1

The application of classic project management into the field of agile project management is somewhat an overextended exercise. The application of classic management techniques into the agile environment may lead to a mismatch, thereby stifling innovation. Overstretching of classic project management techniques reduces its effectiveness. However, the evolvement of project management over the years has resulted in a customized, expanded and validated classic project management platform. The emphasis of project management in an agile environment is on a shift from planning to execution. An agile project management environment is characterized by unique expertise, uncertainty, and speed. The chapter highlights two forms of project uncertainty that are vital in agile project management, namely, external uncertainty (this refers to those factors of a project that are not covered by the project) and internal uncertainty (these are the issues actually covered by the project). Either of the two types of uncertainty could be prevalent in a given project, and as such, they are critical elements worth consideration. Initially, the development of classic project management was mainly meant for the mature organizations that had managed to successfully compress most of the internal uncertainties from their daily operations.

As an organization becomes more mature, the internal uncertainties associated with its projects reduces. While internal uncertainties symbolize the maturity of a company, on the other hand, external uncertainties symbolize the maturity of the industry. This is because mature industries have by and large managed to do away with most of the competition. They have also succeeded in erecting entry barriers for newcomers into the industry, thereby reducing any possible external uncertainty. Unique expertise is also necessary in agile project management, and more so with regard to innovative projects. Classic project management is characterized by the interchangeability of the pooled resources, including expertise. In agile project management, however, the unique expertise cannot be substituted. The agile project management, therefore, has to ensure that the unique expertise is put to optimum use. Sped is also critical because the management would want their projects completed in a timely manner.

Chapter 2

The comprehensive nature of classic project management renders its application in diverse project situations. Before any agile project management concept can be applied to any situation at hand, certain fundamental criteria are necessary. To start with, it is important to study the project environments. Here, three types of project environments are quite popular with scholars in the field s of science and technology. Whereas the operational environment tends to be somewhat predictable (that is, it has a low level of uncertainty), on the other hand, both the process/product development and technology environments have a high level of uncertainty (that is, they tend to be more predictable). As such, a full understanding of where your project falls is useful because it enables one to identify the extent to which the ideas of agile project management may be beneficial to our project. An environment that renders itself to technology development projects blends well with agile project management. In addition, a blend of both agile project management and classic project management is valuable to the project environment of the product development process.

The second criterion involves the organizational stakeholders. These could be the partners, subcontractors, and customers of the organization. When the project is operating under one umbrella in the organization, the chances of success with the agile project management concepts are higher. On the other hand, multiple organizations are faced with more challenges when trying to establish a successful agile environment. The lesser the number of stakeholders in an organization, the more application will be the agile project management. On the other hand, multiple organizational stakeholders find more application in classic project management. Both classic project management and agile project management find application in a situation whereby a single company has multiple organizations.

Chapter 3

Projects are an integral part of any business, and their success or failure impacts greatly on the overall business of the organization. Close scrutiny of the general makeup of a typical business reveals two vital elements: the first part of the business is the operations part, dealing with the daily activities of the firm such as revenue generation, sales, technical support, billing, and procurement. On the other hand, the project part emphasizes more on the companys future vision. This part includes marketing programs, R & D, and business process improvements. In classic project management, projects are treated as distinct entities with static and well-defined boundaries. On the other hand, in agile project management, projects are treated as a fundamental component of the business. Their dynamic boundaries allow for shifting in line with changes in the needs of the business.

The development of project management and organizational capabilities is crucial if at all we are to successfully integrate projects into organizations. These capabilities should also allow project managers to see beyond the boundaries of the project. The aim of agile project management is to integrate the business and projects environment and in the process, as well as the associated decision-making processes. The matrix management model separates project and business decision making. Matrix management helps to unite the organization with the projects and not the objectives of the business. In larger companies, matrix management acts as an effective project enabler, but too small companies, it may be a hindrance.

Chapter 4

Organizing for agility calls for the establishment of project leadership, a team that functions across the various departments in the organization, a definition of the roles and responsibilities of the team, and a reminder of how to effectively manage the meetings attended by the members of the project. With regard to cross-functional team leadership, it is important to note that failure to directly address the issue of leadership in a team may lead to ambiguity. In addition, the project manager should assume his leadership role. Desire and expertise are the defining terms of the roles and responsibilities of team members in an agile environment. Solving multidimensional issues requires that individuals cross boundaries. As such, these forms of boundaries should ideally be permeable so that the other members of the team may also be encouraged to get involved. Agile environments are characterized by a decentralized process of decision making. By and large, agile projects call for more meetings, and the frequency/number of such meetings should increase with the increase in uncertainty. The identification of the optimal or required attendees enhances the efficiency of meetings. Also, when the attendees are fully aware of what to expect in such meetings, they come prepared. There is a need for project managers to change their perception regarding meetings so that they stop being a hindrance to the process of communication in the organization, and instead, they should endeavour to become agile and valuable channels of communicating information on project management.

Chapter 5

The role of the agile manager entails various skills and duties. For example, he/she has to recognize that in the course of running a project, some of the agile projects are likely to change direction. For this reason, the agile project manager should be someone who is capable of assuming an outward-facing perspective so that he can closely monitor the external environment and discover possible influences that could; impact the project. As a result, such an agile project manager should be in a better position to add these elements to the members of his/her team. In addition, the agile project manager should be more of a facilitator and not a manager.

A good agile project manager should also function as the organizations intelligent information manifold. He/she should be very proactive in an attempt to establish cordial relationships with the other project stakeholders at a time when the project is not faced with tough times. The agile project manager should endeavour to add value to the project through gap filling. He/she should also be increasingly integrated into as far as technical projects are concerned. The agile project manager should also act as a guide to the rest of the project team by way of maintaining a big picture view of not just the project at hand but the entire organization as well. The agile project manager should facilitate the interactivities and activities of the various individuals in his team. Additionally, the agile project manager should be a champion of the organizations project knowledge development by way of conducting the lesson learned process. Finally, the agile project manager should be in a position to integrate into the project a light-handed approach, solid interpersonal skills, and all the other roles that he/she is charged with in order to ensure that the project moves forward in an effective manner.

Chapter 6

The success of any project depends on how well its members are able to gel and work in a cohesive manner. However, those agile team members who are capable of establishing networks are often seen as possessing uncommon and valuable skills. It is important that the agile team effectively handle changes encountered in the project. Moreover, such a team also needs to ensure that the entire organization experiences change. For this reason, it is the responsibility of a very agile project manager to identify individuals with uncommon skills for inclusion into the project team so that they can assist him in reinventing the organization. Members of the agile team should be in a position to handle change encountered in the project. Additionally, they should also be in a position to influence change in the entire organization.

Once implemented, the various forms of changes recommended by the agile team will, in the long run, result in enhanced agility in the entire organization. For this reason, it is important to always ensure that members of the agile team periodically switch between working alone and working together. This means that the individual members of the agile team should be capable of thriving in a solitary and collaborative environment. In the agile team, technical expertise is actually less desirable than adaptability. This is because the organization has the choice of outsourcing purely technical skills. As the project advances, the team members may be required to get involved in parallel tasks of the project simultaneously, and as such, team members should be able to switch between modes very efficiently.

Chapter 7

One of the most important activities of the agile environment is planning. Still, it remains the most painful and highly undervalued activity because most of the time, project managers will be trying to implement a classic planning process, but in the real sense, they are in need of an agile one. The project manager should form a habit of discussing with his team the expected level of uncertainty when the project is still young during the planning process. This way, the manager will have set the tone on how the rest of the project should be plannedagile planning hinges upon achievements and how the team should be committed in order to meet those achievements. The agile project manager should only make plans for the project no further than the foreseeable future. This is because much further than that could lead to frustrated team members, not to mention that extended plans are risky.

During the project planning process, the agile project manager should set the tone by facilitating discussion with his/her team members on the possible business and technical uncertainties of the project. Consequently, team members are in a better position to better comprehend the frequency and scope of planning efforts in the entire project. The process of planning an agile plan requires that the project manager request members of the team identify the milestones or achievements needed to accomplish the project, as opposed to the detailed tasks. Low-level planning should be incorporated into the culture of project management in the organization. In order to increase efficiency, such planning tools as Concise Project Planning Data Sheets should be incorporated into agile projects.

Chapter 8

Compared to contingency planning, the agile planning methodology, a detailed and shorter planning horizon reduces the attractiveness of mitigation. The risk management approaches of both agile and classic project management are similar. Separately, the fundamental classic techniques tend to be somewhat effective, and as such, even when the project adopts the agile environment, they need not be abandoned. On the other hand, risk management techniques tend to be a bit more time-sensitive when it comes to the issue of implementation into the agile environment because of the brief but comprehensive planning horizon. One of the strategies that can be adopted by the project managers is to ensure that they reduce the scope needed so that they are able to reach the market earlier. In addition, the cost and overall time necessary for the attainment of the original scope also needs to be extended.

Project managers should be mindful of the available time horizon for not only planning but also implementing the mitigation in a case whereby mitigation plans have been integrated with the agile planning technique. However, the risk should be identified first. Decision pathways and points are commonly used for contingency planning of both the scope and the schedule of risks involved. It is important to prioritize the pathways followed by the already defined network diagrams in order to ensure that the energy of members of our team is focused on the paths most likely to be followed. One of the ways of prioritizing the potential project pathways is to weigh them. This way, it becomes easier, if necessary, to expand the detailed plan of your agile project along a specific pathway. As much as possible, the agile project environment should remain positive to avoid inherent delays created by negative views of the primary project plan. The project manager should be involved in the development of the network diagram. He should therefore keep all the team members looking forward and regularly communicate with the external stakeholders and members of the team any emerging issues.

Chapter 9

Agile project management deals with the skilful management of project uncertainly and the associated change so that in the long run, both the business and project may benefit from the ensuing positive force. It is important for the senior management to fully comprehend the connection between portfolio management, business planning, and strategic project execution. There is a need for proper understanding of how high-level objectives, business strategy and strategic project portfolio are related if at all one wishes his/her organization to attain high-level strategies. The agile project environment is characterized by a shared ripple effect; on the one hand, we have the tactical project portfolio, and on the other hand, there is the high-level business strategy. The agile project manager needs to ensure that he/she is actively involved in the projects of the organization. This way, he/she is in a better position to advance skills and/or the right persons to the tasks at hand and, in the process, influence the overall advancement of the organization.

Functional managers are called upon to think about outsourcing as far as the agile staff projects are concerned. Outsourcing should therefore be seen as a way of obtaining particular technical talent, and more so if the talent in question may not be repurposed. Now and then, agile team members will push the companys envelop and, in the process, reveal novel organizational obstacles that must be conquered. In this case, the agile project manager should endeavour to establish an environment that allows for the breakdown and rebuilding of the conventional functional boundaries, in line with the demands of both the business and the project. The overall agility of an organization depends on its ability to reinvent itself. In this case, the silo mentality tends to kill any reinvention spirit in the organization. When you want to institute change in the organization, it is always wise to present your case to the management. Present them with the big picture, along with potential implications of the project. Ensure that all the levels of management fully understand that there is a dire need for organizational reinvention.

Chapter 10

In order to enable project managers to manage the daily PM activities of the organization (for example, action items, task, and communication management), the organization should have in place an infrastructure that allows for the execution of the operational project management. Project managers should be careful in seeing that the operational infrastructure takes into account even those action items that have not been planned for and integrate them with these contained in the original plan of the project. In addition, the manager should skillfully manage the rapid and recurrent changes to the plan in question.

If at all a project is to operate efficiently, there must be an operational infrastructure in place. Agile projects are no different; the infrastructure should emphasize more on how the execution stage of the project shall be managed, as opposed to the planning phase. It is important to note that many of the available software tools are more concerned with the planning phase. In this case, in the process of identifying the ideal software tools, always go for those that address the basics adequately.

It is also important to ensure that our project management tasks are broken down into three separate roles- the program analyst, process developer, and project manager. This not only acts to motivate members of your PM team but also ensures that our project infrastructure operations are achieved. Ideally, the project management tools of choice should aid activities related to the process of executing the project. The development, as well as maintenance of project management infrastructure, requires the allocation of specialized expertise/resources. Consequently, this helps to hasten your progress towards the attainment of PM agility.

Chapter 11

One of the most effective ways of introducing the concepts of project and portfolio management is by integrating them with the development process of your products. A lot of companies have managed to enhance this integration by ensuring the proper combination of business, interpersonal and technical skills. Nonetheless, when this approach is used in isolation, scaling becomes with a highly and technical-driven company. Agile project managers should have the habit of planning an individual stage as a separate subproject. This way, it becomes easier to integrate the stage-gate output portfolio assessment into the comprehensive plans for the stage that follows. In this case, it is important to note that one of the best places to integrate the process of product development and the portfolio review is at the stage-gate assessment meetings.

Agile managers should form the habit of utilizing portfolio management to establish the all important connection between the strategic implementation of individual projects and business strategy. As much as possible, the daily project management process should be integrated with portfolio management through the use of operational infrastructure. This is important to avoid yearly portfolio reviews. One could also ensure the implementation of the portfolio management project by allocating the task to the functional managers who are near the project set. Consequently, the functional managers get deeply involved in the project both at the project and the strategic levels. In addition, it lays the foundation for the creation of a projectbased company. In order to ensure that the project stays in alignment, in-depth discussions are necessary in order to prioritize the projects.

Chapter 12

If companies aspire to remain innovative in the future, there is a dire need for them to embrace the concept of project management. Project management enables companies to define, plan, and implement various projects. This makes a big difference between the flourishing and surviving companies in a fast paced and dynamic environment. Today, project management is a tactical tool for use by companies so that they can attain their objectives. In project management, serious consideration is given to those approaches that tend to resonate with both the organization and the team. These approaches are always accorded serious consideration. Agile project management prioritizes creativity, even as it facilitates organizational and project success. In theory, project management focuses on the full project lifecycle. On the other hand, the practical application is more involved with the planning. In order to propagate and reflect this focus, we have in place management TOOLS WHOSE principle design allows for the automation of such planning activities as resource allocation and timeline creation.

On the other hand, in order for the agile projects to succeed, emphasis should be on the execution phase. Agility entails making proper decisions during the planning and execution phases of the project. Companies that wish to succeed in the future will have to ensure the integration of their project decision process with the business. This will help create a two-way, real-time feedback mechanism between, on the one hand, the business and, on the other hand, the project. However, these organizations will be required to redefine conventional roles, develop novel infrastructure that emphasizes project planning and definition efforts, and organize their operations around projects in a way that enhances execution efforts. If organizations are to succeed in implementing the agile project management concept, they will require innovative leaders to act as champions of this noble idea.

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